Day 28 - Upside Down

I made it to Day 28!! HOLLA!!! 

And let me tell you - it's been an upside down kind of day!

To start - last night my Beloved lets the dog out and says "crap". Awesome. I ask what's going on and he says Atticus is chasing something. Ok, what? He asks if I really want to know. Again, awesome. Turns out it's a rat. A nasty, disgusting RAT. AND it was on the roof of our porch!! That's TOUCHING THE HOUSE people!! NOT OKAY!

I spend the entire night dreaming of the Rat King running off with the baby. 

Luckily she was still in her bed this morning. Thank the Lord.

So I'm talking to Mom on the phone this morning when I notice a brown creature in our backyard. I immediately think "that's one HUGE rat!" but on closer inspection, it's only a small Chihuahua. 

I can't make this stuff up. I wish I'd had my camera with me. 

So I put the baby in her swing and head out to the backyard in my robe and slippers. Don't judge. Today was SUPPOSED to be 'Jammie's All Day' day - but Alice messed that up. More on that later. 

I head outside, turn the corner and notice not only the rogue Chihuahua attempting to wiggle back under the gate - but now he's brought his little friend! No sir! Our backyard will NOT become the cool neighborhood hang out for the local runaways while their parents are out. Not happening. So I'm talking to mom (who is laughing at the fact that I'm getting barked at by a yippy little Chihuahua IN MY OWN BACKYARD) and looking for something to block the bottom of the gate. I turn around and yelp because there the rogue thing is - barking at my feet. Yeesh. 

It's too early for this. 

I chase the dog back through the gate and put a long planter in place to block his way. 

Alice naps and I get a few chores done. When she wakes up I go to change her and she decides to pee all over herself before I can snap her new diaper. Now I have to dress her. I love dressing her but on days we're not going anywhere - it's just so much easier to leave her in the jammies. The constant Sock Battle is exhausting. However the Princess had other plans. So instead she's wearing a menagerie of items. 

This is her own doing.

Now it's 'Hot Mess Day' - cuz Baby Gurl lookin' a hot mess, mmmkay.

And Momma needs a drink.

Thank goodness my Beloved stopped for caffeinated. 

I didn't have this much excitement when I was working. This staying home stuff is exhausting. ;)

Until next time....

Day 27 - Playing

Today Alice went to the Rodeo! 

She got to meet all of our Studio friends, attended her first 2 o'clock meeting, met some animals and was held by those who were happy to see her. We had a great day! Mom, Mamaw, Alice and I had a lovely day out at the Show. 

Now for the emotional part of the story - you've been warned.

We stopped in the Scramble office so they could see our girl. They were so excited to finally meet her. She's famous there as well - after all she is Karen's Granddaughter. Only there she's also MAD's Granddaughter. And that's bittersweet. I've done pretty good about keeping the emotions in check but there are moments I look at her and my heart hurts knowing he's missing so much. 

As Alice was sitting in my mom's lap, a group of uniformed HPD officers walked in to the office and immediately caught her eye. She followed them the entire time they were there. 

And it made me smile.

Alice and Officer Griffith

And even though he's not here, there are people in her life that will let her know he'd have spoiled the heck out of her. Seriously, he'd have been completely wrapped around her little finger and it would have been a HOT MESS. ;)

Until next time....

Day 26 - Quiet

4am is dark!

This is what 4am looks like at our house. It's quiet and still and just us girls. 

And then we woke up.

Today has been a day.

It started last night when I found a crack in my new phone. UNCOOL! I didn't drop it, sit on it or anything! Now I have to get a new one and download everything again. LAME! 

And this morning as my Beloved is leaving he says "oh, by the way, the coffee you bought is Decaf."

HOLD THE PHONE! 

I immediately drop what I'm doing and in a panic say "what do you mean it's decaf?!?!"

He promptly left for work. He is no fool. 

Seriously, decaf coffee should come with an audible warning. As soon as it's lifted off the shelf it should say "this is DECAF - do you want to proceed?" Heck no! It would have gone back on the shelf for some crazy person who thinks decaf is the way to go. Crazy people. Now I have to figure out how many cups of decaf it takes to make one cup of regular. That sounds like math! GRRRRR!!

Side note - I never drank coffee before Little Bitty. The child, she's broken me. 

I've spent all day with a headache. I think I might be addicted. Crap. 

As I'm eating lunch I hear a commotion in the kitchen. Since the baby is asleep in her swing and the dog is in the front room - this can only be a would-be kidnapper or a vengeful ghost. Awesome. And now I have to fight them with no coffee. 

Lucky for me, it's only this....

I tried to fix it but quickly gave up. 

Instead we took a nap.

I think it was a good idea.

Until next time....

Day 25 - On Your Bedside Table

This is my side of the bed. 

The lamp was a graduation gift. The pens are because I have a slight pen habit that has spread to the bedroom. The F.R.O.G (fully rely on God) cup also holds a nail file, a hair pick and a nail cleaner. I can't go to sleep with dirty nails. It's a thing. I also cannot go to sleep with loose hair or dry lips - note the berry flavored Blistex and the hair tie. Or dry hands, hence the three lotion options I have. Or any kind of light, hence the eye mask. 

I might be a little crazy. 

There is also a stack of books I bounce between reading, a light for my Nook and a little jewelry box I've had since childhood. It holds my bookmarks. 

Until next time....

Day 24 - Cloud

A cloud made just for her. 

Day 23 - A Word

Tonight we celebrated my friend Monica as she prepares to become a wife. It was the first time I've been out without little bitty for something other than work. And we had a good time! 

Tami and I didn't last as long as the other ladies but we enjoyed the time we did get to spend with them. 

And hopefully the pictures will never see the light of day....

Here's hoping!

With a Sheep - Week 7

Little Bitty is 22 weeks old and weighs 12 pounds, 3 ounces! She is 23.5 inches long and is still impressing the doctors. Today we went in for her 4th Synagis shot. This is a shot to prevent RSV and is given once a month to all preemies during their first flu season. Since she has done so well, this will be the only flu season she will require the shots. This makes me happy. Her sad sleepy whimpers break my heart. 

She loves to sit up although she can't by herself so I spend a lot of time holding her in a sitting position. We might try a walker soon. She's much too little to walk but she LOVES to stand. It might entertain her. This week she's trying her hardest to put things in her mouth! Mostly it's her hands for now. She can't seem to figure out how to get the hands to work right. But she's trying! 

For now she spends lots of time glaring at her Monster. One day...she will catch him.

Until next time....

Day 22 - Makes You Smile

How loved our girl is.

Alice and Mrs. Mildred

Since the day she was born, she's had a slew of people praying for her. I contribute how well she did and is doing to that fact. One of those people is Mrs. Mildred. This week she got to meet our "Angel Baby" as she calls her. 

There are people in your life that have always been there. When people ask how you met you say "I don't know, we've just always known each other!" Mrs. Mildred and her late husband Emmett are those kind of people. Just always there. To love us. We met them as kids in the Scramble office at the Rodeo and they've always treated us like family. And now our girl is just as loved as we were. 

And that makes me smile. 

Our girl is loved and prayed for and cherished by too many people to list. 

And that brings me joy. 

Until next time....

Day 21 - Full

A bowl FULL of pacifiers!

Before she was born, we were told we would need LOTS of pacifiers. We registered for several and were given lots more. For the shower we received the Frog pacifier as a gift from our friend Nicole; she knows I love frogs. It's a little stuffed frog with a built-in pacifier. It's the exact same pacifier as most of the ones in her bowl full of pacifiers. 

And it's the only one she loves. 

We even bought a Duck just in case something happened to the Frog (we couldn't find a frog) and she's not interested. 

Only the frog will do.

And she LOVES to hold on to her Froggie. 

When she was in the NICU she would hold on to her feeding tube. I think it's a comfort for her. So she can have her frog for as long as she wants. 

Until next time....

Day 20 - Where you Stood

Today Little Bitty and I got to spend the day with my Mom as she got her hair done. This was Alice's first visit with Ms. Lori! One day when she has hair, Ms. Lori will cut it. That will be special. 

And because I missed it - I had a blue streak put back in my hair. Only one this time! But it's still totally sassy.

Today I stood in Hairkeepers II with our friend Lori. We laughed, we gossiped, we got blue hair. HOLLA!

 Until next time....

Day 19 - I am....

their daughter,
their sister,
his wife, 
her mother, 
a blue streak, 
a lover of books and imagination, 
His, 
a not so patient crafter, 
a lover of silly jokes.....

but mostly I'm hers

Until next time....

Day 18 - Something You Don't Like

There's a long list.

People, roaches, traffic, other drivers, people, dog hair, anything outside, long lines, being on hold, people, anything requiring patience and this hanger feature...

D.U.M.B.

All they do is get hung on my clothes and then that requires patience. No thank you. It makes me ragey. 

Until tomorrow.....

Day 17 - In Your Hand

I love cuddling with Little Bitty while she sleeps. 

Day 16 - Perfect

We know nobody is perfect.

But to us, she comes pretty close.

Until next time...

Day 15 - Inside Your Fridge

The Creamer helps wake me up.

The bottles are for the Babe.

The wine is to celebrate! 

Today was my official last day of 'work'. They let me go last week. The email sent out to the masses announcing my departure made it seem like it was my choice. Not so much. But honesty was never a priority so there you go. 

I never considered staying home with kids. I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I'd have any desire to.  However after she was born, the thought of leaving her made me sad. So my prayerful Grandma and her prayer group prayed if it was God's will I stay home with little bitty - so let it be. And apparently He said yes! Some things have happened and staying home will be better financially for us for a while. So getting laid off turned out to be an answer to prayer. Who knew?!

So while losing a job SUCKS - for us, it's an opportunity. I will be there for the first steps, the rolling over and the tummy aches. After being apart for the first 40 days of her life - I don't have to ever again. 

Which is good, because I'm pretty sure I need her almost as much as she needs me. 

Until next time......

With a Sheep - Week 6!

Today I put her in a two piece outfit with little shoes. 

And all of a sudden she looks like a little girl. :(

Little Missy is 21 weeks old! She will be 5 months in 5 days. 5 MONTHS!! Yeesh.

Seriously - check out the cute shoes!

Until next time...

Day 14 - Love Is....

.....all you need.

Today's outfit is brought to you by MamaCase Prints.

The day she was born a doctor told mom to look up the John Prine song Big Fat Love. He said it was about her granddaughter.

So we did - and it was! 

The first verse is...

    It started out when she was small

   She was premature
   She wasn't nothing at all
   Two pounds six ounces (seriously - that's what the song says!)
   A little pumpkin seed
   But she got more love
   Than you ever gonna need
   She got big fat love
   She got big fat love

And it's true - our girl has big fat love. :) 

Until next time....

Day 13 - Walking

She wants to SO BAD!! 

She stands whenever she gets a chance. 

She kicks her feet like crazy. 

She is a mover and a shaker. 

Our girl won't slow down.

Until next time....

Day 12 - Where You Ate Lunch

Right next to this girl!

She loves to sit up although she's not able to sit up for very long. This only lasted a few minutes before she was tired. 

I've enjoyed being home with her. Even on days when she's fussy or needy - being home with her makes me happy.

And I'll get to stay home longer! 

For the second time - I've been laid off. My last day is Friday. And I'm so stinking excited. It's probably unhealthy to be so happy to be let go.  

The first time I got let go it took me out of a really bad situation - which was nice!

This time, I get to stay home with Little Bitty which is SUPER nice! 

I'm thankful I won't have to miss a thing when it comes to our girl. 

Until next time...

Day 11 - Entrance

I'm not so good at this 'homemaker' stuff yet. 

I went to the store yesterday with a list of items for meals I'm going to put together only to get home and realize I left a few items off my list. And I realized I bought the wrong items of some items.

Blah.

So today, Little Bitty and I ran to the store....by ourselves....for the first time....in the rain. 

She takes up a lot of cart space. ;)

I found a blog on Pinterest with recipes for freezer meals I'm going to put together. 10 meals in 2 hours - sounds doable! 

Only now Pinterest is down and I can't get to the pin. 

Blah. 

Story of my life.

Until next time....

Day 10 - 3 o'clock

What to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon?

Snuggle with our girl. 

;)

Until tomorrow...

Day 9 - Guilty Pleasure

I had no plans to grow attached to any new stories. However, I've been home with some time on my hands so mom let me borrow her first season of Supernatural saying it was worth the watch. 

Fast forward about a week and I'm through all 7 seasons. 

And then I find out the series is still going! 

I'm caught up - no more DVD's without commercials. No more gag reels. I have to WAIT to find out how Dean gets out of Purgatory! I have to watch things LIVE!!! GROSS!!! 

There are several people to blame for this issue. 

It starts with Travis' friend Sam who introduced the series to him who then introduced it to mom who then introduced it to Tami....

So basically we blame Sam. 

Until next time...

Day 8 - Something Orange

Her car seat!

Today Aunt Tami came for a visit which means Little Bitty got to sport her shades and ride around in her sassy orange car seat.

She totally makes it look cool.

Until tomorrow....

With a Sheep - Week 5

Alice is 20 weeks old! Can you believe?! She's working on sitting up and likes to be held. But seriously - who doesn't?

She giggled in her sleep the other night. It was the cutest thing ever.

Until next time...

Day 7 - Your Name

When I was younger I wanted a regular, boring name. 

I could never find anything with my name on it. 

People never got it right. (They still don't. And now my new last name has complicated things even more.) 

But I wouldn't change a thing.

This was made for me by my father's father and it hangs in our kitchen and holds my aprons. 

Until tomorrow....

Day 6 - Soft

My original rainy day cuddle buddy....

We have blankets on the floor in the living room with Little Bitty's play pad on it. Atticus wants so bad to play on it too. He has a bed in the living room but her bed looks way more comfortable. And it has things to look at! 

He has a habit of bringing his food from his food bowl to his bed (if we're not in the kitchen - if we're in the kitchen, he'll eat it in there. He still takes it out of his bowl, puts in on the floor and then eats it. I'm not sure why we insist on putting it in a bowl. We should throw it on the floor.) Focus woman. He brings his food to a softer surface in the living room - his bed or the rug leading to the backyard. 

Yesterday while I was feeding Alice, he brought his food to the corner of her 'bed'. Bad dog. 

When I fussed at him he looked at me with a "oh, sorry, I thought this was my bed" face. 

Silly beast.

Until next time....

Day 5 - Something You Smelled

MamaCase says Heaven must smell like Dreft. 

I agree.

Today was Little Bitty laundry day. If I'm being honest - any day can be Little Bitty laundry day. She goes through quite a bit of clothes! And I've come to terms that no matter how many times I wash clothes - there will ALWAYS be clothes in her hamper. 

Always.

And that's okay. 

Until next time...

Day 4 - Hope

I hope she has...
...my imagination
...his gentle spirit
...my love of reading
...his love of knowledge
...my bladder (seriously, if she inherits my Beloved's bladder - road trips are going to take FOREVER!)
...his patience
...our sense of humor
...a desire to learn
...his love of music
...the desire to play the piano
...his appreciation of public radio
...my organizational skills
...his ability to retain everything he reads or sees or hears
...a big heart

I hope she...
...continues to grow
...never doubts she's loved
...makes messes
...laughs a lot
...finds her Beloved (when she's 30ish)

Until next time...

Day 3 - Starting with "E"

EGGS!!!
Usually on Superbowl Sunday we attend a party at our friends' house. However this year with Little Bitty being so little bitty we didn't think exposing her to a night of cold air and a slew of contaminated stranger dangers was a good idea. (That's not really fair. I'm sure they're not all contaminated. But because flu shots don't make you glow safety orange - we can't be sure.)

So instead we stayed in. I had to run to the store and I had the BRILLIANT idea of waiting until closer to game time. Seriously - brilliant. I hate grocery shopping. I hate people - they get in my way. I hate not being able to find things - I swear they move things as soon as I check out. Every time I shop - my blood pressure spikes. 

But not this time! HA! Take THAT Grocery gods!! I got in and out in under an hour! I DIDN'T get hit by any carts! I found everything I was looking for! And I parked close to the door! HOLLA!! 

I did have to wait on one person who was reading all the ingredients on all the butter tubs. ALL OF THEM. Yeesh.

But still - the trip was a success. So much so that I might only shop on Superbowl Sunday from now on. 

Think that'll work?

Day 2 - Pattern

This is her bedding. It has a storybook theme. Humpty Dumpty, the Queen, the Lady who lived in a Shoe, the Cow who jumped over the Moon and others adorn her bed as she sleeps. I think it's magical! It's not overly baby or crazy colored and I LOVE it. 

So when she is 4 and asks for a camo room - I'll be extremely heartbroken. ;)

Until tomorrow....

With a Sheep - Week 4

Little Bitty had a busy week!

Alice got to visit with the doctors and staff that helped her into the world. She not only got to meet my doctor and her Nurse Practitioner (who happens to be named Alice as well), she also got to meet the doctor that was on call the day I checked in. Dr. Ellison is the doctor that called me a variant - not a mutant. One day when my doctor fires me because I'm a hot mess, I think she'll take me in. ;) Until then, I'll stick with Dr. Mata and Nurse Alice - I like them....a lot. 

And she got to visit with all of our Labor & Delivery friends at the hospital. The ladies on the L&D unit at the Woman's Hospital are such a family and I'm so thankful they count us as part of it. Alice is a bit of a celebrity. She is after all 'Karen Martin's Granddaughter.'

Then we swung by the Rodeo offices to see our Studio friends. She got to meet all the ladies that have been praying for her and her Momma since she was born. I'm so thankful for them as well. And she got to meet my Studio guys! I do miss them! 

And THEN she got to spend the day with her Grandma and Great Grandma! Talk about SPOILED! Yeesh. ;)

She was much more agreeable this week!

Alice is 19 weeks old. She's sleeping through the night (HOLLA!!!) and she's doing better holding on to her rings. She's also tracking with her eyes and smiling when you smile at her. She's growing so fast! And she's already total drama. The other day she was having a full on fit because we hadn't fed her in like 2 hours. I mean tears, kicking and screaming! My Beloved walks in shaking her bottle which she sees out of the corner of her eye. She whips her head around, stops kicking and screaming and starts smacking her lips. Oh the drama! We're in trouble. 

Until next time.....

I Accept!!!

I like Photo Challenges - they're fun! So I've accepted one for the month of February. Let's see how many I remember.....

Here's the list:

Now here's Day 1 - Fork

These will be hers one day. 

Until tomorrow..